"You will be attending school with Anya," the pink-haired girl asked.

Loid had just dropped off his son and the computer after waiting around for his "wife" to leave to attend her city hall profession. Much like Anya, the computer wore the Eden Academy's attire thanks to Loid arranging to have the suit made upon informing WISE that the computer would be accompanying his daughter to her school. However, it looked back at her through its computer screen. Its desktop design did very little to seal the fact that it was not a child. At best, it opted to wear a black bowler hat on its head.

"That is correct, Ms. Anya," the computer responded, "besides, would be interesting to absorb all the knowledge of this academic foundation."

Anya couldn't really understand the last part the computer said, but she was nevertheless appreciative of its accompaniment. While thinking about the stuff she would introduce to the computer, she paused. Come to think of it, she never really tested her telepathy on the computer before. The computer noticed her ceasing to walk and turned around. "What is the matter, Ms. Anya?"

The girl was at a loss for words. There was nothing bouncing off the artificial intelligence aside from the static. She squinted to concentrate more. Still nothing, just more buzzing coming from her guardian. Never had she had an experience where she was virtually unable to read someone's mind? Granted, she could not understand Courage either, but that could be argued that Courage was so anxious his inner mind consisted nothing of mad ramblings.

"Oh, nothing," Anya replied now giving up.

"Though, this reminds me of a question I was meaning to ask."

Anya's ears perked up. "What is it?"

The computer leaned toward her. "Can you read minds?"

Anya couldn't say anything. Was she being unable to read his mind because he was actually reading hers the entire time? She raked through her mind in hopes of recalling where she slipped up since the computer was seemingly catching on to her. "Anya doesn't know what you mean."

"I've merely noticed a pattern of instances where you seem to react in specific ways whenever your parents interact with you. Remember when you were watching Bondman and your father was standing behind you? I noticed you not even turning around to see he was there and you immediately ran to do your homework. Or how whenever your mother tries to help you with your math problems, you act horrified even when she did nothing. Based on all that, I came to the conclusion you could read minds."

Anya considered doubling down, but the computer could easily call her bluff. Sighing, she nodded. "Yes, Anya can."

"Do your parents know?"

Anya shook her head. "Anya doesn't want them to find out."

The computer stood there perplexed. "Whatever for?"

"They might leave Anya in an orphanage," Anya replied.

"I doubt they would ever do that, Ms. Anya," the computer said, "but I get the impression they will find out."

Anya nodded wordlessly. "Please keep it a secret until then."

"You have my secrecy, Anya," it said.

With that revelation, the two enter the school.


As they entered, Anya caught sight of her best friend, Becky. "Good morning, Becky."

Becky stopped in her tracks to see the younger girl calling out to her. "Hey, Anya."

She ran over about to say something additionally, but she took notice of the computer. "Uh, Anya?"

"Yes?"

"Who's this new student?"

Anya and Becky both stared at the computer for what seemed like hours. Anya turns back and stares at her friend. "He's new here."

"I can see that," Becky rebutted, "but why does he look like that?"

"He's from really, really far away."

Becky wanted to further probe her for answers, but she was content with Anya's explanation. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She shook hands with the bizarre exchange student. She was still hesitant to completely trust this mechanical anomaly, but he seemed to be close friends with Anya and any friend of Anya's was a friend of hers.

"You must be Becky Blackwell," the computer pointed out, "Ms. Anya has told me everything about you."

"Oh, she has?" Becky gave her friend an odd look.

"Precisely. For instance, she mentioned that one time when you were trying to steal her father."

Becky blushed in embarrassment. "Anya, why would you mention that to him?"

Anya shrugged. "Thought he just needed to know."

"Whatever the case, we have to head in now," Becky remarked.


The three students walked up the stairs to the entrance of Eden Academy and heard the infernal chatters coming from the legions of students. Primarily, it was mostly murmured about Damian's upcoming birthday party. Of course, there were discussions students had in their minds that only Anya could hear, but for the most part, they focused their full attention on the party.

"Do you need me to give you the tour around this place?" Becky asked to the computer.

It shook his head. "No need; I have already uploaded the layout of the school into a file."

"Oh...kay?"

Weird. The student was suggesting that he had a built-in database. Becky scratched her head deep in thought. Of course, there was the off chance he was just joking around. While conversing, the three students saw Damian and his two cohorts discussing something among themselves. One of them, a buck-toothed boy suddenly looked in the trio's direction. "Hey, there goes the commoner!"

Damian and the other boy turned around. The fat boy and skinny boy snickered to themselves while Damian gave a slight smile. "Well, look at the raccoon-faced girl coming to greet us."

The two hyenas chuckled too, but there seemed to be some hints of it being exaggerated to make the encounter more humorous. Anya and Becky quickly frowned at the trio of boys.

"You just have to ruin the morning with your mouth, don't you?" Becky asked bluntly.

The skinnier boy spoke up next. "What? We can't talk about Damian's birthday in peace?" He crossed his arms. "We were all just fine until you showed up to ruin it."

Becky and the boy glared at each other creating an intense thunderstorm of rage. The computer looked at Anya. "So, this is the second son you would mention?"

Damian blushed deeply. "W-what do you mean you talk about me all the time?" He covered his eyes in embarrassment. Come to think of it, what exactly was up with this student? He looked more mechanical than organic. Looking at him only made Damian feel uncomfortable. He tried looking for a visage of a face, but the computer blankly stared at him. Was the computer angry at him? Curious? Hateful of his behavior? If it were a game of poker, the computer would win.

The computer spoke again ignoring his inquiry. "From what I understand, there will be lots of candy for your birthday party."

The fat boy spoke up. "Yes. But this party is for no commoners like her." He pointed at Anya to emphasize his statement.

"Hm. Judging by all the stuff you eat on a day-to-day basis, could say the same for you."

The boy froze up. "W-what?"

The computer walked towards the boy with static softly humming and pointed at his midsection. "Hm. Why yes, I see it now. You are a perfectly-made butterball, aren't you? You look like you go through two boxes of Mallomars every day. Wow, you are a true beacon of health."

The boy sniffled with his eyes wetting. The skinnier boy lightly pushed him aside to stare directly into the computer's face. "Hey, you can't shame Emile like that, who do you think you are!?"

The computer was not letting up. "Oh, I am being lectured now by someone whose hair is so pointed I can use him as an arrow to directly hit a target?"

The boy scoffed and backed away to console Emile. Damian's gripped his fists together in anger. "How dare you insult Emile and Ewen like that?"

"Oh, that is right; you are the second-born to Donovan Desmond am I right?"

"So what?"

"I think I know why you are such a jerk to Anya."

Damian crossed his arms. "What are you talking about?"

"I have a theory. You act the way you do because your father and mother perhaps don't acknowledge your existence and do not shower you with affection so much so they did not care that you got punched in the face. So, because you feel no love at home, you feel the only attention you'll ever get is by bullying Anya. But ultimately, you have daddy issues and that fuels your insecurities. Am I correct?"

Damian stood there speechless unsure of what he should say as a rebuttal for the computer's analysis. The trio of students took turns staring at each other and Emile and Ewen. Damian did not respond for what seemed like an eternity until he felt something jerking in his eyes. They were itching with fresh tears threatening to leak out from them. "S..shut up! You do not know me at all!"

Without warning, Damian ran away in the opposite direction trying his hardest to not cry. Ewen and Emile stared at each other in shock at the sudden action.

"Damian, wait for us!" Ewen screamed.

The two friends gave the trio dirty looks before sprinting after Damian. The crowd of students went silent as well. It was so bereft of sound a pin could be dropped on the floor and no one would notice it. Anya turned to the computer. "That wasn't too mean, was it?"

"He was belittling you and your friend," the computer noted, "I had promised your father I would protect you today, did I not?"

Anya nodded but she could not help but think that it was a low blow even for someone as jerkish as Damian. In order to keep Operation Strix from going under, Anya takes a mental note to speak with Damian in secrecy later to properly apologize. For now, it was time for classes to begin.


Courage and Loid sat in a used police car waiting for the truck to leave Jumping Jack Deen's Candy Emporium. Both wore matching police uniforms, though Courage had to take measurements since WISE never had an agent as small as him. The radio starts buzzing and startles Courage. Loid activates it and starts speaking. "This is Agent Twilight; we are now on a stakeout."

"Great to hear," Sylvia remarked, "as you had requested, other WISE agents have been dispersed and will intercept the suspect should he try to run."

"Excellent."

Loid then turned to Courage. "The Handler will be on standby, but you know what we must do?"

Courage nodded his head. He was fearful as usual. What if the perp had a gun with him and would try to shoot at them when he tried to high-tail it out of there? But Loid was a well-built man who was trained to deal with these situations, so it did ease the dog's heart a bit.

Loid used binoculars and wordlessly scanned the roads seeing nothing aside from regular vehicles gliding along. It was like this for an hour, but the Westalian agent did catch a glimpse of a big truck slowly appearing on the horizon. It started off as a small blip before progressing in size. "There it is, Courage." He passed the binoculars to the dog and Courage nodded.

The semi-truck lulled along carrying a huge load of candy from the factory. In the driver's seat was a human-sized fox with shades who had one hand on the wheel and the other on the radio. Sometimes he would look down for a moment to tinker with the buttons so he could tune into his favorite channels to hear music. On his head, he wore a cap signifying that he was affiliated with the candy factory.

"Sweet Home Alabama, where the skies are so blue! Sweet home Alabama! Lord, I'm comin' to you!"

The fox happily sang to himself unaware that he was totally tone-deaf. He rode past the car the two WISE agents were in as a result of signing an onslaught of country songs. Loid nodded to Courage, and he shifted the car into gear and tailed the truck.

The fox continued singing other country songs having the voice of an intoxicated angel unaware that he was being followed by a police car until he noticed the iconic blue lights and blaring of the alarm. He turned around and lifted his shades revealing his ungodly eyes that bulged from his sockets. "Ah, crap it's the fuzz."

Sighing, the orange fox gently slammed on the brakes and pulled over. The police car slowed as well and the two "officers" stepped out. The fox tapped on the rim of his rolled-down window impatiently. Courage's eyes widened a bit. It can't be...can it?

"Good morning, citizen," Loid said putting on an artificial smile. "I assume that you know why we pulled you over?"

"Naw, Mr. Police Man, I was just mindin' my business when you ugly pig showed up."

Courage trembled at seeing Loid's right hand tighten, but he immediately loosened his grip allowing his hand to fall at its side. "You had a tail light off for a few miles."

"Eh? What are ya blabberin' on about? I know for sure that I would never forget to check that!"

"Uh-huh, I believe you, sir." Loid took out a clipboard to pretend to write him up. "May I see your driver's license?"

"Will it get you off my hide?" the fox asked.

"Otherwise, I will have to report your negligence."

The fox sighed and reached into his skin pocket. After grumbling to himself for a few seconds, he withdrew his driver's license. "There. Ya happy now?"

Loid analyzed his license. "Ah, a Mr. Cajun Fox, is it?" He turns to Courage. "Partner, could you go to my car and fetch me my water bottle?"

Courage did not understand what Loid was planning, but he obeyed. Giving the bottle to him, Loid pours a small pint of the water on his gloves. After getting them nice and moist, he rubbed his fingers on the driver's license. The Cajun Fox gulped fully realizing what the police officer was doing. Loid then returned the card with noticeable smears on it that confirmed his suspicions. "Appears to be a fake."

The Cajun Fox looked at the ruined license card and then at the two officers. He said nothing throughout aside from opening his mouth only to slam it shut. Without a word, the fox tried to slide back into the front seat to tail it.

"Courage, get him," Loid ordered.

Courage jumped up at the tall canine and bit his bushy tail. "YAAAAAA!"

The Cajun Fox ran around screaming his face off trying to push the dog off his luscious. He screamed obscenities that Loid was glad Anya was not present to hear. However, no matter how hard the fox tried, Courage sank his teeth deeper until the fox could have sworn that he bit through his flesh.

"Get off ya rabies-ridden mutt!"

He brought his fist down on Courage's nose causing him to become momentarily stunned. Loid rushes to Courage and the villainous dog fox saw that as the perfect opportunity to make a break for it. "See ya all in hell ya bunches of swines!"

He jumped back into his seat and hit the brakes of the semi-truck. Black ooze seeped from his exhaust pipe in thick, noxious smoke. Loid carried the small dog and they both got back inside the car. "You okay back there, Courage?"

Courage nodded. The Cajun Fox swore to himself and tried rubbing his tail seeing the indents of his teeth on his beautiful tail. He clutched it with one hand whilst trying to pay attention to the road. Those damn pigs he growled. Whatever the case, they were far away and there was no way in hell they could keep up with his conniving. Cars blared around him stirring him back. "Screw you guys!" He slammed on his horn in anger. In his mad driving, the semi-truck swerved and nearly hit cars on either side of the road.

The alarm blared as the two WISE agents did a high-speed chase with the crazy fox. "Handler, is the blockade up?"

The radio droned. "Affirmative, Agent Twilight. Please try to keep him occupied long enough so he does not endanger any innocents."

Loid nodded. Loid switched gears causing the car to go faster. Courage, being smaller, was engulfed by the seat despite wearing his seatbelt. The air snapped around the vehicle rocketing them forward like a slingshot. The Cajun Fox's pain was subsiding to his relief. "So long, ya pigs!"

He was too invested in his self-congratulatory mood to notice the police car was now in front of him. "What the!?" The fox swerved the driving wheel forcing cars to park off the road to avoid collisions. Loid turned the wheel again getting in the way of the semi-truck. The fox blew his horn and cursed. "Fine, if ya wanna be like that, then Imma gonna get off the road for good!"

He increased his speed and came flying toward the car. Courage struggled to pull himself out of the sinkhole that was the seat. Freed, Courage stared out the window seeing the truck bolting towards them. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Loid put his finger to Courage's mouth. "Don't worry, Courage. We won't die today."

The agent slammed on his gas pedal and got out of the way of the rolling semi-truck. They were within arm's length of getting pulverized, but with the agent's timing, they narrowly made it. They flew past the fox undoubtedly infuriating him more. He balled his fist at them and waved it. "That's what happens when ya mess with Cajun Fox!"

He laughed to himself and turned around delighted to be rid of the two...until he saw that there was a series of roadblocks in his line of vision. Behind those roadblocks, more people walked out of their automobiles resembling the two "officers" he just fled from.

"Oh, crap."

He was going too fast now. Thinking about what to do, he absentmindedly slammed on his brakes...and the semi-truck skid off its wheels. The Cajun Fox panicked and scrambled to take control of the wheel again, but that too was uncooperating. The semi-truck flipped over on its wheels and the cargo does the same. The semitrailer skid off its wheels in a near 360-degree angle. As he was flying in the air, the Cajun Fox scrambled to rip off his seatbelt now that he was soaring towards the roadblocks.

The front of the truck hit the hard road first shattering the windows and bucking the Cajun Fox forward. Miraculously, the fox did not sustain any injuries from literally going through the windshield. He checked over himself from his arms and legs to his tail and signature shades. He smiled idiotically for a moment. "See? I am a born winner!"

He basked in that accomplishment...for two minutes before being dogpiled by more WISE agents as Loid brought the police car to a halt. "Excellent work," Loid said to his fellow agents. Courage wobbled out of the car as well. "Courage? Are you okay?"

Courage's face turned a sickly green and he vomited.


The Cajun Fox was tossed into an interrogation room with his arms and legs tied. He had a piece of duct tape on his mouth. He was undeniably saying more swear words under his breath but they were censored by the adhesive tape. Loid and Courage walked into the room with the former returning to his typical uniform. Sylvia was waiting for them sitting in a chair. "All the candy has been confiscated, Agent Twilight."

"That is good to hear. Perhaps this would strike a blow to Jumping Jack Deen's goal for a while."

Courage cautiously walked towards the fox. Squinting, yes, he remembered the fox quite well. He tried to make Muriel into granny stew and then was part of the ensemble Eustace situated to destroy him. But what was he doing carrying candy around Ostania?

Sylvia walked in front of the fox and knelt down to rip the tape off. "YEEOUCH!"

"Mr. Cajun Fox, hope you can provide us with answers after that...elaborate display you showed my agents earlier."

The fox spits as if he had just tasted something bitter. "I am not the kind of fox to go snitchin' on my boss like a schoolboy."

"Hundreds of innocent Ostanians could get blown to smithereens if Jumping Jack's plan is not thwarted," Loid emphasized slightly becoming miffed at the uncivilized canine. "Do you understand how great of a loss of life that is?"

The animal scoffed. "Like I care at all about this here country. It's gonna take a lot more than sissy stories to make me go behind my boss's back."

Loid wanted to punch the Cajun Fox, but Sylvia clutched his fist. The two stared at each other as if having a telepathic conversation before Loid backed away. Sylvia walked crossed her arms and stared down at the fox. "What is it that you want if it means we can negotiate?"

The fox stared at the tall woman for a second. "Ya know, if I wasn't goin' to pop the bubble with my sweet thing back home, I'd be showin' ya some sweet southern lovin'."

The room went quiet for a moment with Courage and Loid being unable to perceive a legit attempt to hit on the Handler. The young woman herself appeared flattered because she giggled slightly and she was smiling. But then she bashed the Cajun Fox in the face with her foot. His black shades exploded upon impact with some of his teeth and spittle flying from his mouth. While still maintaining her grin, she socked him in the chest. Loid and Courage cringed at his wheezing. They could have sworn that the Handler had also broken some of his ribs. With the fox keeling over, Sylvia dropped her smile.

"Do you really think I would consider dating scum like you? Anyone who does not care about a potential war disgusts me. But especially anyone who wants to profit off it."

The Cajun Fox spit out a few more teeth and stared at her and the others with a look of disbelief mixed with anger and pain. "Ya crazy woman! Ya ruined my beautiful teeth!"

She leaned in again and squinted her eyes behind her glass lenses. "And I will ruin whatever else just to make you talk."

"Ms. Handler, we have some development on Operation Sweet Tooth," a seasoned agent remarked as he made himself an uninvited guest. The fox was rendered unconscious but was left keeled over.

"We'll deal with him later. What is it that you discovered?"

"A total oddity. When we procured the candy, we couldn't help but notice the sign that was on the semitrailer."

"What did you see?"

"Turns out that the trailer initially belonged to another company that appears to be heavily affiliated with Jumping Jack's. It was painted over. Our investigators spent a few grueling hours removing the layers of paint and it spelled out a word. Perhaps it has some meaning to this investigation?"

Sylvia crossed her arms again. "Well, what was it?"

"K - A – T – Z. Does that ring any bells?"

Loid and Sylvia shrugged, but Courage's eyes grew larger, the size of dinner saucers. Panic was bubbling up from the deepest regions of his stomach. No. No, it couldn't be. The last time he encountered that feline, he saw him plummeting with the other villains down a deep chasm that he created as a result of screaming his lungs out. For all intended purposes, Katz was good as dead. Courage's vision began to falter with the world spinning around the little dog. His short stumps for legs wobbled and gave way forcing him to fall on his knees for support.

Loid took a knee to get down to Courage's level. "Courage...what's wrong? Do you know who this guy is?"

Courage howled in agony.